It is no secret that I have a sweet tooth, and often, crunchy is a consistency that I constantly crave, except when it comes to cookies. Typically, I prefer my cookies to be dense and chewy, since I am more of a cake girl, than a cookie girl. EXCEPT receiving this box, is starting to broaden my palate's preferences!

Enjoy Life just did a rebranding of their Crunchy Cookie Line, which comes in four flavors: Double Chocolate, Chocolate Chip, Sugar Crisp, & Vanilla Honey Graham.

ALL Crunchy Cookies have a "buttery" crisp base, very similar to Tate's Bakeshop Cookies, but better! And as for their allergen free chocolate chips, they taste so good,you forget that they're not the real deal!

Chocolate ChipEnjoy Life knocks it out of the park with their allergen free take on this classic cookie flavor. Buttery crisp base, with hints of brown sugar. The ratio of chips to cookie is spot on, and they melt in your mouth with each bite.

Sugar CrispSprinkled flecks of sugar adorned this perfectly shaped circle cookie. I am not a fan of sugar cookies, because I think they're quite boring, but the hints of sugar crystals with each bite really enhanced the sweetness and brought out the vanilla taste! Add some frosting and you've got the perfect Christmas Cookie!

Vanilla Honey Graham A toasted taste of vanilla with hints of honey mixed in. It was kind of like a cross between the chocolate chip cookie (sans chips) and sugar cookie, resembling a brown sugar crisp flavor! I used to love Graham Crackers, so at first it was strange to be eating a Graham Cookie, but I've already got a recipe idea for this bad boy: using these cookies crumbled as a base for my GF DF Pumpkin Pie !

What better way to enjoy these cookies than with a glass of dairy free milk? Or try these ideas:Not all ideas are top 8 allergen free, remember to select ideas based on your dietary needs/limits!

I am not a big fan of going out to eat BUT I will crave certain places "famous dishes," even if I've never been there before. The influence of constantly uploaded food photographs on Social Media salivates my palette for foods I don't even like! For example, brussel sprouts, I don't even LIKE brussel sprouts, but some of you Instagrammers make them look so tasty I want to go out and buy a bag for myself...ANYWAY, Chipotle Bowls flood my newsfeed like no other, except I don't even like Chipotle. Their meat is too spicy for my sensitive taste buds and stomach, so I wanted to use their "no taco" idea and make my OWN fiesta of flavors, a Chicken Fajita Salad!

This recipe is quite flexible, and can be cooked a variety of ways. Pick the cooking method that works best for you and add/substitute for whatever toppings you like best!

1. Cut defrosted chicken into strips2. Add chicken and taco seasoning to a gallon sized freezer bag, shake up to ensure the chicken is evenly coated. This step can be done for however long you want the chicken to marinate for, I did mine for six hours but that's only because I actually remembered for once!

Later, once the chicken has marinated and is ready to be cooked3. Use the How to Roast Peppers in the Oven method or a grill, to roast the peppers for your salad4. While the peppers cool, begin to grill your chicken. If you do not have an outdoor grill or a grill pan use my "No Grill Grilled Chicken" Method5. Once peppers are cooled, de-seed and slice the peppers while chicken continues to cook Cook time for chicken will vary, depending on your choice of grill/grill pan/broiler 6. Once the chicken has fully cooked you may:- Let it cool before adding to your 'bowls'- Add to your salad right away7. Prepare your "bowl" using a bed of leaves, topping with chicken and any other goodies that will complete your fiesta of flavor!8. ENJOY! Margaritas optional, just kidding, I don't even really drink ;)

*Some quick information for my celiac, gluten intolerant, gluten sensitive or simply gluten free readers:Make your own taco seasoning! It's simple, and the SAFEST guarantee that your taco seasoning won't be infested with gluten. Many Taco Seasoning brands do not contain gluten BUT are not labeled as gluten free due to cross contamination risk, and this information is not always provided on the label. Read more about an extensive reply I received from El Paso here.

Tips/Notes- I prefer to let the chicken cool completely before adding it to my 'bowl' of leaves, if the chicken is too hot, it will wilt your lettuce, and nobody likes soggy lettuce!- This is a GREAT meal to prep for, just grill/cook LOTS of chicken, buy a big bag of leaves, pre cut/chop your toppings and you're good to go for the week

My ice cream obsession is real, and so is my insatiable sweet tooth. Often times, people are surprised to find out that I eat a sweet or dessert on a daily basis, sometimes even multiples times a day. Yes I eat more than just quinoa, kale, and chicken everyone! Hello, my name is Amber and I have an addiction to all things dessert like and delicious. EXCEPT, my irate intestines don't really approve of my addiction, so its tough to find tasty alternatives that appease my taste buds AND my intestines, until now.

I SCREAMYOU SCREAMWE ALL SCREAM FOR WINK, an all natural, allergen free, frozen dessert that satisfies all my ice cream desires while keeping my irate intestines in good spirits, no matter how many spoonfuls or pints I consume. If you missed my review on the rad frozen alternative, scope it out here cause I've got even MORE exciting news to share: I have been made a Wink Captain, what this super cool company is calling their ambassadors! AND NOWI have the opportunity to invite YOU to become a WINK WARRIOR

So, what exactly IS a Wink Warrior?

Lively, energetic individuals with an appetite for healthy living!

Who reside in an area within Wink’s distribution range

(when you apply we’ll let you know if you are in our range)Wink Wants Warriors Who are:

willing to be good representatives of Wink Frozen Desserts to other potential customers

are comfortable speaking about Wink Frozen Desserts

are at least 18 years of age

Does this sound like you? Or something you'd want to do? Still not sure?

I love grilled/roasted veggies! There's just something about the charring and roasting of a vegetable's exterior that makes it that much more enjoyable. I don't own a grill, and using my grill pan to roast peppers once before turned out quite catastrophic. Smoke was everywhere, the alarm wouldn't stop going off and I had to air out my apartment for hours...SO I gave up on having roasted peppers at my apartment, until I got the idea to use the broiler! Behold, the broiler method of roasting peppers!

I am warning you, THIS method requires extensive babysitting in the kitchen, since using the broiler chars the peppers MUCH faster than baking them would! Be prepared to hang out close by or in the kitchen!

1. Line a pan with aluminum foil2. Turn your broiler on High, make sure there's 5-8 inches of space between your broiler and where the peppers will be placed, if the peppers are too close, they will char before they've gotten a chance to cook3. Plop peppers onto the pan (keep them whole)4. EVERY FIVE MINUTES, turn the peppers, to evenly roast each side, for a total of 20-25 minutes(this means about four to five rotations of five minute intervals)

At this point, if your peppers are black, NO WORRIES! You're going to peel them anyway!

Now comes the fun and messy part, seeding and peeling!1. Let peppers cool a bit, otherwise you WILL burn your hands while trying to peel and seed!2. Slice the pepper from top to bottom (vertically) and lay the pepper open. It should be in one strip3. Pull the stem off, it should come off pretty easily, and along with it, a clump of the seeds.4. Wipe away an extra seeds that are still hanging out inside your pepper5. Flip the pepper over and peel off the skin, it should come off with little effort. If you like the charred taste, leave some bits of skin on!6. Slice the peppers into thin strips7. Place on a plate, with a paper towel down to absorb some of the liquid8. Serve as a side to your meal, or place on top of your just prepared dish!

Tips/Notes- DO NOT LEAVE THE KITCHEN DURING THIS PROCESS, unless you'll be back in under five minutes of you WILL burn the peppers and make your smoke alarm sing

- Store peppers in an air-tight container

- Use as a topping for salads, tacos, steak, chicken

- Keep the pepper in one long strip and ROLL your meat up with the roasted pepper!

I wrote in my last post, that I do not keep my Irritable Bowel Syndrome a secret. It is something I openly share and discuss with anyone. Well, I've taken my openness to a whole new level with A LOCAL NEWS TV CHANNEL INTERVIEW on my experience with IBS and the Clinical Trial I enrolled in last summer for treatment! YES, YOU READ THAT RIGHT, I WAS ON TV AND TALKED ABOUT MY IBS, how's that for owning your condition? WATCH THE VIDEO HERE !

I credit SO much of my success of being able to THRIVE with my IBS to the Clinical Trial that I was so incredibly fortunate to have found. Which is why I had offered to "be the face of the trial" a few months ago when I finished my last session. Little did I know I would have the opportunity to be on the news, but also share my story with others, in hopes to help them find relief with the trial!

So what exactly is this Clinical Trial I decided to be a part of this past year?

"The Irritable Bowel Syndrome Outcome Study (IBSOS) is a seven-year, multi-site clinical trial to test the efficacy of a behavioral self-management treatment for irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), one of the most common, painful and disabling disorders seen by primary care and gastrointestinal physicians. The study will also assess the active ingredients for treatment gains and their economic costs. The research is funded by an $8.9 million National Institutes of Health grant." Learn more about the Clinical Trial here !

As I have mentioned in previous posts, these last few years had been quite the struggle for me with my health, but Summer 2013 was when that all started to change. One night, through desperation, I began a google search for treamtment options for IBS. I had tried every medication possible, and was willing to do almost anything at this point to find some sort of relief. By chance, the IBSOS Clinical Trial appeared as one of the google results. With the click of a mouse, and a phone call the next day, my entire life and view on my disorder would slowly begin to change for the better. The IBSOS Clinical Trial was a non-medication type of treatment, that gave me hope that I could start THRIVING with my symptoms, instead of just thriving with my symptoms. I can say with confidence, that I NOW do just that. I own my IBS, it does not own me. I THRIVE WITH MY SYMPTOMS, I DO NOT SIMPLY SURVIVE WITH THEM.

The Clinical Trial wasn't a walk in the park though, it involved A LOT of paperwork and effort on my part as well. If I wanted this to work, I had to put in work as well. At first, I was quite skeptical, but after slowly starting to see improvement, I became a believer. NOW, I am not "cured" of my IBS, and I still experience symptoms/flare ups/have to take extra medication from time to time, but the frequency of these occurrences, and my ENTIRE attitude has changed so drastically. I can thank the Clinical Trial and my change of attitude to wanting a happier and more positive life for this.

Still doubting? Think I'm making all of this up? Click READ MORE to see an assignment I had to complete for the Clinical Trial LAST Summer. Notice how different my attitude towards my disorder is from then to now. The change in me is real.